Feeling Hopeless...

One morning I decided to turn on the news and I saw a report by Ann Curry. She was in Uganda and was in a cave interviewing an old woman who had 15 children she was helping... none of them her own. They were all orphans whose parents, siblings, friends had been killed by rebel forces. One girl about 14 was holding her 2 year old sister and said her mother had laid her body on top of theirs... and been shot to death. I was horrified. And then the old woman opened her mouth and said, "There is no hope in the world". The words came through my television and hit my in the forehead like a ton a bricks. My mouth hung open and my heart broken... one mouth, one heart, one voice. I felt so helpless. All day long I went through the tasks of my day-- brush my teeth, drive 35 minutes to work, see 14 patients, drive home, go to the Smith's and buy groceries, cook for 15 minutes, eat dinner, watch TV, get ready for bed, read, REPEAT. I had such a hard time shaking that woman's face or the screams of another woman who was videoed driving away in the back of a pick-up truck... she had been the collateral damage of a bomb. Her lung was outside her body. She was being "trucked" down a bumpy road as the people said, "She won't live long enough to get help." What is happening in this world? I know it might just sound dramatic to you... but I felt like I could do nothing. Maybe I can't do anything for those children and families in Uganda. Most likely not. Nothing. But I can be human. I can stop the daily routine and LOOK, SEE, ACKNOWLEDGE that there is a whole world out there that needs someone, anyone to give. Maybe not money, maybe not a lot of time... but hope. So here's to trying in my little meager way... to spread the message. I had seen bits of something called "Kony 2012" on the news. But in my rush to do everything ME-- I didn't stop to watch. Tonight my brother sent me this video. If I could plead with everyone who reads this just to stop and watch. I promise there's nothing more important you could do with your 3o min. Im not asking for donations. But I have to believe that if we all even FELT the DESIRE to help people who didn't affect our daily lives one iota... that there would be more hope in the world. And there IS hope in the world...if we can only show it...

http://vimeo.com/invisible/kony2012

I've realized something... it's okay for us to feel hopeless. It's NOT okay to allow that hopelessness to inhibit us from action. From being human. Surely we cannot allow ourselves to feel so hopeless we can do nothing... that it stops us from doing anything.